The Unforgiving Minute
by Seraph2
Summary: Based on the poem "If--" by Rudyard Kipling. Spot is accused of stealing his best friend's girl and cannot find a way to prove himself innocent.
1. Chapter One

Chapter One  
  
Disclaimer: All of the original newsies belong to Disney, and the chapter quotes are from the poem "If-" which belongs to Rudyard Kipling and was copied out of Read-Aloud Poems for Young People. I own Leprechaun, Sweetheart, Sketch, Demon, Refugee, Pepper, Jungle, Trickster, Newsprint, Sparrow, Switchblade, James McLaws, and Benjamin "Bricks" Saunders. Ruby and Ketchy's is an actual diner near Morgantown, West Virginia.  
  
A/N: Any grammatical mistakes in the dialogue are meant to imitate the newsies' way of speaking.  
A/N 2: This is my first fan fic, so please R/R!  
  
"If you can keep your head when all about you  
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;"  
  
Racetrack Higgins climbed down the fire escape at the Manhattan Newsgirls Lodging House, stunned. He rapped on the second-story window until Switchblade finally opened it and let him in.  
"Where's Blink?" Race asked. Switchblade pointed to a corner where Kid Blink and his girl Sweetheart were kissing. Racetrack frowned-this was one night when he really didn't need to see two people in love.  
"What's the matter, Race?" Switchblade asked, seeing his expression. "And where's Leprechaun? Did you leave her on the roof?"  
"No, she left me," Race muttered angrily.  
"Then why is she still up on the roof and you're down here?"  
"I don't mean left me physically, I mean left me as in broke up with me," Racetrack explained. "She just told me tonight."  
"She broke up with you?" Switchblade exclaimed. "Why?"  
"Not so loud!" Racetrack cautioned. "The whole lodging house doesn't need to know."  
"All right," Switchblade said in a whisper. "Why?"  
"She said she wasn't ready to commit to anything," Race began. "She said she needed her space and her independence and all that. But I didn't think I ever took any of that away from her...did I?"  
"Don't ask me, Race," Switchblade reminded him. "Leprechaun's the one that just dumped you. Maybe you should go back up to the roof and try to get a better answer."  
"I tried!" Race said. "But she just told me to leave her alone, she wasn't my girl anymore and she didn't have to answer to me."  
"That's not like Leprechaun," Switchblade said. "Maybe something's bothering her. I could go talk to her for you, if you want."  
"Nah," Racetrack declined, "I'll go talk to Spot about it tomorrow. Maybe he'll be more helpful."  
Switchblade tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh. "Spot! What does he know about staying with a girl? Usually he dumps 'em in two weeks or less."  
"I know, but he's still my best friend," Race pointed out.  
"Yeah, I guess my best friend's kind of the same way," Switchblade replied, glancing to another part of the bunkroom where Pepper, the Manhattan newsgirls' leader, was talking with Sparrow, Jack, Dutchy, and Sketch. "She's not big on holding onto her boyfriends, either."  
Racetrack and Switchblade shared a rueful smile before Race looked toward the back corner once more. Kid Blink and Sweetheart were still making out. "I suppose I'll go pry Blink off of Heart now so that we can head home," he decided tiredly. "Thanks for talking with me, Switchblade."  
The Next Day  
  
After selling the afternoon edition of The World, Racetrack headed for Brooklyn. At the entrance to the docks, one of Spot's "birdies" stopped him.  
"Where do you think you're going, Higgins?" Refugee asked.  
"To see Spot," Race replied confidently, staring up at the stocky, dark-haired newsie.  
"All right," Refugee said, moving out of the way. Racetrack and Spot had grown up together in Manhattan, and Spot made sure that none of his goons ever harmed his best friend.   
Race walked past Refugee and the other surly Brooklyn newsies until he reached Spot's perch at the end of the docks.  
"Heya, Higgins, how's it rolling?" Spot asked.  
"Not so great, Spot," Racetrack replied.  
"Why, what happened?" Spot wondered, jumping down from his roost and standing next to Racetrack.  
"Well...is there somewhere else we can talk, Spot?" Race asked, remembering Switchblade's exclamations from the previous night. "I don't really want the whole world to hear."  
"Sure," Spot said, giving Race a concerned look. "We can go to the lodging house; I don't think anyone's there right now."  
"Great."  
"Hey, boys, Race and me are going to the lodge now," Spot called to the other newsies on the dock. A few nodded or shouted back replies, and then Race and Spot turned and headed for the lodge.  
The Brooklyn Lodging House was run by a husky former newsie by the name of Benjamin "Bricks" Saunders. He was out at the moment, so Racetrack and Spot had the lodging house to themselves. They ambled up the stairs and down the hall to Spot's private room, one of the perks of being the Brooklyn leader.  
"So, what's going on, Race?" Spot asked.  
Racetrack took a deep breath. "Leprechaun broke up with me last night."  
"Hmm...Demon didn't say anything," Spot muttered. Demon was a Brooklyn newsie and Leprechaun's older brother.  
"I don't think Lep told anyone yet," Race said. "The only people I've told are you and Switchblade."  
"Did she say why?" Spot asked.  
"Yeah, she said she wasn't ready for a commitment yet," Racetrack said. "But I didn't think I asked her to commit to anything! It seems like she had some other reason, or something."  
"Like what?" Spot wondered.  
"I don't know, maybe she likes someone else," Race suggested.  
"I doubt it," Spot said. "Leprechaun's usually pretty honest. But it is strange that she didn't tell me or Demon yet."  
"Why would she tell you?" Race wondered.  
"I don't know, she talks to me sometimes when Demon's not around. I guess she's kind of like my little sister."  
"Yeah, it's the same way with Switchblade and me, but she's more like my older sister," Race agreed. "She even volunteered to talk to Leprechaun for me, but I didn't think that was fair to her. She and Lep are pretty good friends-I don't want to ruin that." Spot nodded, and Racetrack continued. "The only problem is that now there's not much I can do about it. She doesn't want to talk to me, and I can't make her."  
"Maybe Demon can," Spot suggested. "She'll have to tell him sometime, and I know he likes you."  
"Maybe," Race said, still feeling disheartened.  
"And Race," Spot began.  
"Yeah?"  
"I'm really sorry you lost Leprechaun, but maybe she really is just ready to move on. There are lots of other girls out there."  
"Yeah, I know." 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
Disclaimer: All of the original newsies belong to Disney, and the chapter quotes are from the poem "If-" which belongs to Rudyard Kipling and was copied out of Read-Aloud Poems for Young People. I own Leprechaun, Sweetheart, Sketch, Demon, Refugee, Pepper, Jungle, Trickster, Newsprint, Sparrow, Switchblade, James McLaws, and Benjamin "Bricks" Saunders. Ruby and Ketchy's is an actual diner near Morgantown, West Virginia.  
  
A/N: This is my first fan fic, so please R/R!  
  
"If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,  
But make allowances for their doubting too;"  
  
The next day, Spot was once again reclining on the docks, surrounded by his newsies.  
"Hey, Spot, you seen Demon anywhere?" Refugee asked. Behind him was Leprechaun, a petite, redheaded Manhattan newsie with cinnamon-colored freckles and bright green eyes. She was known for her impulsiveness, honesty, and the fact that she could be easily annoyed.  
"He's still out selling, Lep," Spot said, addressing the slightly younger girl. "But you can stay and wait for him if you want; he shouldn't take too long."  
"All right," Leprechaun agreed. Refugee left, and Spot raised his slingshot and prepared to launch a marble at a wine bottle that had been left on the docks from the night before.  
"I heard that you dumped Race," he said.  
"I didn't dump him!" Leprechaun exclaimed, avoiding Spot's eyes. "I just told him I wasn't ready to commit, I need more space."  
"And did Racetrack ask you to commit to anything?" Spot wondered.  
Leprechaun hung her head. "No, but he would have eventually. I don't want guys in my life right now. In a few years I'll be done being a newsie. I can wait for boyfriends until then.  
Spot looked Leprechaun in the eyes. She was only fourteen, like a little sister to him, and he had been a little surprised when Racetrack asked her out. "A few years could get to be a long time," he said finally. "I know Race is a bit older than you, but you're not going to find many guys as faithful as him."  
"Stop trying to make me feel guilty, Spot." Leprechaun's voice turned cold as she stared at the water below the dock. "I came here to talk to my brother, not to get a lecture from you."  
"I'm not lecturing, just pointing a few things out," Spot said, finding another bottle to shoot at. "So," he began casually, "there's not anyone else in your life, then?"  
"What?" Leprechaun exclaimed. "You think I'd cheat on Race? You think I'd like someone else and not tell him?"  
"No, no, no," Spot interrupted. "Calm down, Lep, it was just a question. You don't need to have a fit."  
"I'm not having a fit!"   
Spot hopped down from his perch and put his hands on Leprechaun's shoulders. "Yeah, but you're darn close to having one. Now settle down. We can find something else to talk about."  
"All right," Leprechaun agreed, taking a deep breath and looking Spot in the eyes. "All right."  
Same Time, In Manhattan  
  
Racetrack Higgins was not in a good mood. Besides the fact that his girlfriend had dumped him the night before, he overslept this morning and had almost been too late to get his papers. Then he lost almost a dollar on a "hot tip" at the races before proceeding to sell only a lousy thirty papers and eating the loss of his other twenty. No, this was definitely not a good day.  
"Heya, Race, you going to Tibby's with us?" It was only around four o'clock in the afternoon, but many of the newsies spent their evenings at Tibby's, drinking water and Cokes, telling tall tales about their adventures, and flirting with the female customers.  
"Nah, I don't think I can afford to eat today," Race replied. "Maybe I'll go back to Brooklyn again. Talk to Spot or something."  
"All right," Mush said, giving Racetrack a sympathetic look and hurrying to catch up with Jack and Kid Blink. In one day, news of the break-up had spread among the newsies like wildfire. Racetrack frowned at Mush's back-he hated pity, and he knew that there'd only be more sad smiles and pats on the back waiting for him at Tibby's.  
"I am definitely going to Brooklyn," he said to himself and headed for the bridge, hawking headlines as he walked.  
In Brooklyn, Racetrack was once again greeted (if you could call it that) by Refugee, after which he stomped toward the end of the docks. On the way to Brooklyn, a passing carriage had splashed mud all over his clothes and his bad mood had worsened considerably.  
But if mud puddles, bad sales, and lost money had seemed bad before, it was nothing compared to what Race saw when he reached Spot's ledge.  
"Leprechaun?" he exclaimed.  
"Yeah?" she asked. She had joined Spot on his perch above the river.  
"What are you doing here?"   
"Why should I tell you?" Leprechaun asked. It was then that Racetrack noticed how close she was to Spot. The ledge wasn't THAT small!  
"You're here to see Spot, aren't you?" Racetrack shouted. Spot stared back at his friend in astonishment for a few seconds, which gave Leprechaun a chance to retort,  
"Maybe I am. Maybe he asked me to." With that, she grabbed Spot's partially buttoned collar and pulled him close, giving him a deep, rough kiss.  
Race could only stare. He had thought that Leprechaun might be with someone else, but he had never suspected THIS. Moments later, his leg msucles kicked in and he turned and ran back toward Manhattan, almost knocking Refugee over on the way.  
As soon as Racetrack left, Leprechaun pulled away from Spot. She stared at him for a second, her face a mixture of horror and dismay. Then, like Racetrack, she turned and ran from Brooklyn.  
Spot, still overwhelmed by the kiss, climbed back to his perch, glaring at his newsies' questioning glances. 


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
Disclaimer: All of the original newsies belong to Disney, and the chapter quotes are from the poem "If-" which belongs to Rudyard Kipling and was copied out of Read-Aloud Poems for Young People. I own Leprechaun, Sweetheart, Sketch, Demon, Refugee, Pepper, Jungle, Trickster, Newsprint, Sparrow, Switchblade, James McLaws, and Benjamin "Bricks" Saunders. Ruby and Ketchy's is an actual diner near Morgantown, West Virginia.  
  
To Morning Dew: Thanks for reviewing! I know what you mean about Spot acting like a scab. Apparently you're not the only one who feels that way...  
  
"If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,  
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,"  
  
Two days after the kiss, Jack arrived in Brooklyn early in the morning to talk to Demon.  
"Hey, have you seen Leprechaun lately?" he asked, trying not to sound too worried.  
"Not for a week or so. Isn't she in Manhattan?"  
"She hasn't been since Spot kissed her. We thought she might be in Brooklyn," Jack replied.  
"Since Spot kissed her!" Demon exclaimed. "Spot said that she kissed him and then ran away!"  
"That's not what Race saw," Jack said. "He said that when he got there Leprechaun and Spot both started kissing. And that Spot asked Leprechaun to stay with him in Brooklyn."  
"Yeah, well, maybe Race don't see so well," Spot suggested, walking up behind Jack and Demon, "because Leprechaun definitely did all the kissing. And I did NOT ask her to stay with me."  
"You mean you just let her kiss you and didn't do anything?" Jack wondered.  
"What was I supposed to do, Jacky-boy?" Spot asked. "Soak the girl?"  
"Well, you should have at least said something!" Jack declared. "Look how upset Racetrack is."  
"And why should I care about some jealous wimp of a newsie who gets upset and goes crying back to his leader every time something goes wrong?" Spot wondered.  
"I don't know, Spot," Jack said. "I just thought you might care because that jealous wimp used to be your best friend."  
"I stopped being friends with him when he stopped trusting me and started lying," Spot said.  
"Yeah, well maybe you're the one who's lying, Spot," Jack suggested. "Because the Spot Conlon I knew would never let a girl control him. Unless, of course...he liked her."  
"Are you saying I stole Leprechaun from Race?" Spot shouted.  
"That's the way things look, Spot." Spot's fist shot out and punched Jack in the jaw. Holding his jaw with one hand, Jack retaliated by socking Spot in the gut.  
"Hey, Refugee, can I have a little help over here?" Demon shouted, and Refugee rushed over to help Demon break up the fight.   
"Now, I don't see any reason for either of you to start fighting about a girl that isn't even yours," Demon said, holding Spot and Jack apart, "even if she is my sister. Not to mention that a lot of good has come out of the Brooklyn-Manhattan alliance, and I don't want that ruined just because one of the newsies is lying."  
Jack stepped back slightly and glared at Spot. "Well, I'm not one to ruin any alliance, but you damn well better keep your hands off of the Manhattan girls or you'll have every single Manhattan newsie against you," he warned.  
Still breathing hard from the fight, Spot managed to shout a few curses at Jack as he left. "Demon, search the city for Leprechaun; tell the other newsies to also. We're not going to stop until we find her and get her to tell the truth!"  
  
A/N: Sorry this chapter's so short, I've had writer's block all day! Please review anyway! 


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: All of the original newsies belong to Disney, and the chapter quotes are from the poem "If-" which belongs to Rudyard Kipling and was copied out of Read-Aloud Poems for Young People. I own Leprechaun, Sweetheart, Sketch, Demon, Refugee, Pepper, Jungle, Trickster, Newsprint, Sparrow, Switchblade, James McLaws, and Benjamin "Bricks" Saunders. Ruby and Ketchy's is an actual diner near Morgantown, West Virginia.  
A/N: Thanks to Morning Dew for the reviews---please continue! To anyone else reading this story: REVIEW, please! Thank you. BTW, I'm sorry it took so long to update, but I have had TONS of homework, plus a band contest Saturday (and we got a 1 rating, so we had to go celebrate by climbing all over the play place at Burger King).  
"Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,  
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;"  
  
* This chapter takes place on the same day as chapter three. *  
  
Leprechaun awoke early from her makeshift bed on the floor of an abandoned warehouse in Queens. The bed was really just a blanket that she had taken with her from the Manhattan Lodging House and some straw that she found in the corner of the warehouse. Maybe it had been a stable at one time.   
Leprechaun could hear the Queens newsies outside her window, singing and dancing as they headed for the distribution office. She would wait until they were gone---a few of the older ones might recognize her---and then walk back to the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House. By then it would be empty, and she could leave a note for Kid Blink, her best friend, before heading toward Brooklyn to talk to her brother. She was a little scared of what Spot would do if he saw her, but she knew Demon would be worried. By now, the newsies would have figured out that she was neither at the Manhattan lodging house, nor with Spot in Brooklyn.  
As the newsies' laughter died away, Leprechaun sneaked out of the warehouse, tucking her folded blanket under one arm and pulling her newsie cap low over her eyes. She would have to be careful not to run into anyone from Manhattan. Finally, Leprechaun entered the door of the boys' lodge. She prayed that Kloppman was in his room in the back, and, luckily, he was and didn't hear her as she crept up the steps to the main bunkroom. She tore off the edge of a newspaper that was laying on the floor and scrounged up a pencil stub from under Specs's bunk.   
"Blink,  
It's me, Lep. I'm safe---don't worry. I've been staying in Queens for a couple days. Now I'm going to Brooklyn---"  
Leprechaun heard footsteps on the stairs. Quickly, she placed the note on Kid Blink's bunk and ran for the fire escape. Just as she got out the window, Kloppman entered the bunkroom.  
"That's strange," he muttered, "I was sure I heard a noise up here."  
As soon as Leprechaun reached the street, she started running. She had to avoid the newsies at all costs. Manhattan newsies would demand an explanation of her absence, and Brooklyn ones would probably soak her for kissing their leader. Unfortunately, Leprechaun was too wrapped up in her worries to pay attention to where she was going, and she tripped on an uneven cobblestone and fell---straight into Demon's arms.  
"Leprechaun!" he exclaimed. "Where have you been?"  
"Uh...nowhere special," she murmured, avoiding his eyes.  
Demon stepped back and tipped her chin up with one hand, forcing her to look at him. "Where have you been?" he demanded.  
"In Queens," she finally admitted. "But Demon, I don't wanna see Spot. Can't we just go talk for awhile?"  
"All right," Demon conceded. "Let's go to Ruby and Ketchy's."  
Around noon on the same day.  
  
Because of a surprisingly good headline, Kid Blink finished selling early in the day and returned to the lodging house to relax and deposit his hard-earned pennies. He was the first newsie done, so he was alone when he found Leprechaun's note.  
"Brooklyn!" Blink exclaimed. "So Race was right---she IS going to stay with Spot! I've got to go find her. We're all so worried about her, and look what she's done to Race!" Automatically, he left the lodging house, almost colliding with Jack.  
"Lep's in Brooklyn!" he exclaimed.  
"What?' Jack asked. "When I went to Brooklyn this morning, she wasn't there. Spot sent all his newsies out to look for her."  
"She left me a note on my bunk saying she was going there. You must have just missed her," Blink said. "But I'm going to find her and get this whole kiss thing straightened out." With that, Blink began running toward Brooklyn.  
"Spot!" he yelled when he reached the docks. "Spot!"  
"What the...shut up Blink, I'm right here." Spot said, appearing from behind a stack of wooden crates. "What are you doing here, anyway? You're supposed to be selling in Manhattan."  
"Where's Leprechaun?" Blink demanded.  
"How should I know? She left two days ago!"  
"Oh yeah? Then how come I got a note from her saying that she's coming to Brooklyn? And why else would she come to Brooklyn but to stay with you?"  
"I don't know...to stay with her brother, ya think?" Spot suggested sarcastically.  
"She's never come to stay with her brother before," Blink pointed out, standing directly in front of Spot.  
"Well, she's definitely not coming to stay with me!" Spot declared.  
"Oh yeah?" Blink shouted. Before Spot could say anything, Pepper appeared on the docks and pushed Blink out of her way.  
"Sorry, Kid," she apologized. "But could I speak to Spot for a moment? Privately?"  
"But Lep said she was coming back to Brooklyn..." Blink whined.  
"I know. I just saw her at Ruby and Ketchy's with Demon. I'm sure she'd be delighted to talk to you there," Pepper said. "If you would..." Kid Blink turned and walked slowly off the docks.  
"I've been hearing a lot about you and Leprechaun," Pepper said, taking a seat next to Spot on his perch.  
"It's not true!" Spot exclaimed. "None of it's true! She was telling me about breaking up with Race, and then Race came to the docks to talk to me about Leprechaun, and then Leprechaun was sitting next to me, so he thought she was cheating on him with me, and then she got mad so she started kissing me and then...it's all HER fault, not mine!"   
Pepper laughed. "Don't worry about it," she said. "I'm sure Blink will bring her back to Manhattan with him tonight, and I'll talk to her. And convince her to tell the truth."  
"You can do that?" Spot wondered. "Nobody else has been able to."  
"Of course I can," Pepper said. "I'm not the leader of Manhattan for nothing." 


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: All of the original newsies belong to Disney, and the chapter quotes are from the poem "If-" which belongs to Rudyard Kipling and was copied out of Read-Aloud Poems for Young People. I own Leprechaun, Sweetheart, Sketch, Demon, Refugee, Pepper, Jungle, Trickster, Newsprint, Sparrow, Switchblade, James McLaws, and Benjamin "Bricks" Saunders. Ruby and Ketchy's is an actual diner near Morgantown, West Virginia.  
Shout-Outs:  
MEg: Yes, I agree. Lep is being very cruel to Race, and Race is definitely NOT a wimp! Unfortunately, Spot hasn't figured that out yet.  
Morning Dew: In Chapter 1, I said that Pepper was the leader of the Manhattan newsgirls.   
Spatz: Here's another chapter for you!  
Sureshot Higgins: Race won't do anything drastic...at least, not in this chapter. I love your pen name!  
Thanks to all my reviewers---please continue! (And I'm sorry this chapter is so short!)  
"If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;  
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim."  
  
After she left Spot, Pepper returned to Ruby and Ketchy's. From there, she, Kid Blink, and Leprechaun walked to Manhattan, and Demon went back to Brooklyn. When he got there, he found Spot on the docks, looking slightly happier than he had for the past few days.  
"Pepper said she'd get Lep to confess," Spot said with a small smile.  
"I hope she does," Demon replied. "Look, I'm sorry about all the trouble Lep's causing. She told me the truth, but when Blink got there she wouldn't admit it."  
"It's all right," Spot said. "Maybe Pepper can straighten her out."  
That night, Spot fell asleep in his private room at the Brooklyn Lodging House. Soon, he started to dream:  
* What follows is a description of Spot's dream. *  
Spot was sitting on the docks, holding Leprechaun in his arms. The sun was setting in the background, casting bronze light over the waves, and a light breeze danced over Leprechaun's soft, short hair.   
"I don't want Race," she murmured. "I want you." To his surprise, Spot felt joy surge through him when she said that. His lips moved toward hers, and they shared a kiss.  
"Spot, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Pepper shouted, appearing on the docks. "You know you don't want Lep, you want me. Let your little friend Racetrack take Lep. You're way too good for her."  
Magically, Leprechaun evaporated. Pepper slid onto Spot's lap and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a passionate kiss. 'Even better than Leprechaun,' he thought to himself.   
Then, suddenly, Pepper stopped and jumped lightly out of his lap. "You can't have me unless you get rid of Leprechaun," she said, and then ran toward Manhattan, laughing.  
"No, stay!" Spot shouted, waking himself up. * Dream ends. * "What the..." he muttered to himself. "Why am I dreaming about Lep, who kissed me and got me into this whole mess in the first place, and then Pepper, who I barely know? The only time I ever talk to her is for newsie leaders meetings, with Jack and everyone. She doesn't care about me!"  
Someone knocked on the door. "Come in," Spot called, and Bricks Saunders, the owner of the Brooklyn Lodging House, ambled in.  
"I heard you yelling and wondered what was going on," he said, his large, muscular body looking out of place in the small chair next to Spot's bed.  
"Nothing. I was just dreaming," Spot replied.  
"Oh. So nothing's bothering you, then?"  
"Well...no. Nothing," Spot said firmly. He had been about to tell Bricks about his feelings for Leprechaun and Pepper, but had decided against it. What if any of the other newsies found out?  
"All right then. If you wanna talk, I'll be downstairs," Bricks said. As he left, Spot laid down again. 'I'll worry about this in the morning,' he decided. 


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: All of the original newsies belong to Disney, and the chapter quotes are from the poem "If---" which belongs to Rudyard Kipling and was copied out of Read-Aloud Poems for Young People. I own Leprechaun, Sweetheart, Sketch, Demon, Refugee, Pepper, Jungle, Trickster, Newsprint, Sparrow, Switchblade, James McLaws, and Benjamin "Bricks" Saunders. Ruby and Ketchy's is an actual diner near Morgantown, West Virginia.  
A/N: Thanks to everyone for reading and to Morning Dew and Sureshot Higgins for their reviews. Please continue!  
"If you can meet with triumph and disaster  
And treat those two imposters just the same;"  
* Takes place on the same evening as Spot's dream. *  
  
Kid Blink walked down the block to the Manhattan Newsgirls' Lodging House. With all the worries about Leprechaun and Racetrack recently, he hadn't had much time for his girlfriend, Sweetheart, so he had decided to visit her.  
Switchblade greeted him in the lodging house lobby. "Hey, Blink," she said. "I heard that you and Pepper brought Leprechaun home with you today."  
"Yeah," Blink replied. "She was talking to Demon in Brooklyn. I still think Spot had something to do with her being there, though. I can't believe they're doing that to Race!"  
"I know what you mean," Switchblade agreed. "Is he at the boys' lodging house?" Blink nodded. "Maybe I'll go talk to him," she said.  
"Try to cheer him up," Blink suggested. "None of us have been able to. Do you know where Sweetheart is?"  
"I think she's up in the attic," Switchblade said. "The girls found some dresses up there that the lodging house's first owner must have left. Sweetheart and Sketch have been trying them on."   
Kid Blink thanked Switchblade and walked up the steps, past the door to the main bunkroom, and up the narrow staircase that led to the attic door. The door was closed, and Blink was about to knock when he heard a voice from inside the attic.  
"Leprechaun, Spot told me what happened that day at the docks." It was Pepper's voice, serious but concerned. "He said that you kissed him."  
"That's not true!" Leprechaun exclaimed.  
"Be quiet, Lep, do you want the whole lodging house to hear?" At this question, Blink blushed. He knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but this conversation sounded pretty interesting... "Spot said that you kissed him," Pepper repeated, "but I know that he could have pulled away whenever he wanted to. Still, you've been lying to the Manhattan newsies. They all think that Spot was kissing you, and that you and Spot have been dating. They're not only blaming you; they're blaming Spot for something he didn't do! It's not like he's innocent, but you're a lot more guilty than him."  
'Wait,' Blink though. 'Spot and Lep aren't dating?'  
"Plus," Pepper continued. "Everyone thinks you're dating Spot, and nobody likes that. If you'd just tell the truth, everyone could get over it and move on. The way it is now, nobody knows what happened."  
"Yeah, but everyone will hate me if I tell them what I did," Lep said. "It was so stupid!" At this statement, she burst into tears, and Blink couldn't stand it any longer. He opened the door, rushed into the attic, and enveloped Leprechaun in a hug.  
"Lep, I don't hate you," he said. "Pepper's right. If you tell everyone the truth, they'll get over it eventually. I already have."  
"All right," Leprechaun murmured through her tears, burying her head on Blink's shoulder. "I'll tell them tomorrow at the distribution center."  
* Early the Next Morning *  
"Good job, Jacky-boy, you beat 'em again," Mush said, congratulating Jack on his most recent victory against the Delancey brothers, who had managed to get their jobs back after the strike.  
"So wise guy, how many papes d'ya want today?" Weasel asked Jack, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.  
"I'll take the usual---" Jack's request was cut off by a loud whistle from Pepper.  
"Everyone, listen up!" she shouted. "Leprechaun has something she wants to say!"  
Shuddering, Leprechaun climbed up to the platform in front of the newspaper office. "I...I've lied. To all of you. I ran away and I pretended that I was dating Spot, and I'm not. I kissed him a few days ago to make Racetrack mad, but it wasn't Spot's fault, or Racetrack's. It was my fault. And tomorrow, I'm going to go to Brooklyn and apologize to Spot."  
"And I'm going along," Blink said, stepping up and placing a comforting arm around Leprechaun's shoulder.  
"So will I," Jack decided, moving closer to Leprechaun. "What you did was wrong, Lep," he whispered so that only she could hear, "but at least you owned up to it."  
Leprechaun nodded, and raised her head slightly to look at the crowd of newsies. She could see one near the back, running toward the lodging house. "Racetrack," she murmured, and took off after him.  
"Leprechaun, wait!" Kid Blink yelled, trying to reach her, but Jack held him back.  
"She has to talk to Race," he said. "And she can't have you there to baby-sit her while she does it. She's fourteen. She has to start growing up sometime." Kid Blink nodded reluctantly and watched as Leprechaun followed Racetrack to the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House.  
* At the Lodging House *  
  
Racetrack ran up the stairs and into the main bunkroom, where he climbed up to his bunk and stared at the ceiling above him.  
"Race!" Leprechaun exclaimed breathlessly, following him up to the bunk.  
"Get down," he shouted. "What makes you think you can sit on my bed?"  
"Oh...sorry," Leprechaun apologized, embarrassed. She climbed back down and stood on the floor, facing up toward Race. "I just wanted to say I was sorry for lying to you. And for kissing Spot, even though I did already break up with you."  
"That's not enough, Lep," Racetrack said harshly. "Thanks to you, I lied to the Manhattan newsies about you and Spot, because I though it was true! Now my best friend and half of Brooklyn hate me. 'Sorry' just isn't going to cut it."  
Leprechaun stared at Racetrack in shock. She knew what she had done was wrong, but she had thought... "Well, never mind then," she said. "Sorry to disturb you." Wearily, she left the lodging house and walked back to the distribution center.  
A/N: I may not update for a couple weeks because I have dance rehearsals and recitals from Monday through Saturday of next week. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: All of the original newsies belong to Disney, and the chapter quotes are from the poem "If---" which belongs to Rudyard Kipling and was copied out of Read-Aloud Poems for Young People. I own Leprechaun, Sweetheart, Sketch, Demon, Refugee, Pepper, Jungle, Trickster, Newsprint, Sparrow, Switchblade, James McLaws, and Benjamin "Bricks" Saunders. Ruby and Ketchy's is an actual diner near Morgantown, West Virginia.  
  
To Sureshot Higgins:  
  
Here are the answers (in order) to the questions in you review:  
  
1. You'll find out in this chapter.  
  
2. You won't find out for a few more chapters.  
  
3. See the answer to question number one.  
  
4. Probably.  
  
Thanks for the reviews!  
  
A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! School gets out for me on June 3, updates should be much more frequent after that. Read and review, please!  
  
"If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken  
  
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,"  
  
Racetrack watched as Kid Blink, Leprechaun, and Jack began the walk toward Brooklyn. He had been harsh to Leprechaun yesterday, but secretly he still wanted her back. He just had to make sure that everything she'd said was true, that there was nothing going on between Leprechaun and Spot. And there was only one way to find out for sure.  
  
As Blink, Lep, and Jack turned a corner, Racetrack crept from his hiding place behind a building. He followed the threesome to the Brooklyn docks where Spot's newsies were returning after selling the evening edition. Spot, as always, was on his perch.  
  
When he saw Leprechaun, Spot glared. "So you finally came back," he said. "After you ran away, lied, and acted like a childish coward."  
  
"Spot," Leprechaun began timidly, staring at her shoes, "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you, I shouldn't have run away, and I shouldn't have lied to the other newsies."  
  
"Yeah, that's right," Spot agreed. "You shouldn't have done any of that crap. And you definitely should have found a better way to get your message across to Race."  
  
From his hiding place, Racetrack grinned. Here was the part he had been waiting for. Now Spot would start shouting at Leprechaun and Leprechaun would run away crying, right into Racetrack's waiting arms, and she and Racetrack would finally be together again.   
  
So it came as a real shock to Racetrack when Spot said, "But I still wouldn't have given that kiss up for anything. You're a pretty good kisser, Lep." Leprechaun blushed as Jack, Kid Blink, Spot, and various Brooklyn newsies began to chuckle.  
  
"So, no hard feelings, Spot?" Jack asked, trying to control his laughter at Leprechaun's obvious embarrassment.  
  
"No hard feelings, Jacky-boy," Spot agreed. He spit in his hand, held it out to Jack, and they shook.  
  
"Same here, Spot," Kid Blink added, and they also shook. Their conversation turned toward the day's headlines and the new show at Medda's.   
  
Racetrack watched the scene in horror. This wasn't supposed to happen! They weren't supposed to forgive Leprechaun, and Spot was definitely NOT supposed to call Lep a good kisser! Racetrack turned away and began to run toward Manhattan---he had to tell the newsies that what Leprechaun had said yesterday wasn't true. There was definitely something going on between her and Spot.  
  
Oblivious to Racetrack, Leprechaun left Spot to find Demon, and Jack and Kid Blink decided to return to Manhattan.  
  
* Back at the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House. *  
  
"I'm telling you, it's the truth!" Racetrack proclaimed to a group of newsies. "Spot said that she was a GOOD KISSER. Now how could you tell that from just one kiss?"  
  
"Uh, maybe he was just joking, Race," Mush suggested meekly.  
  
"Yeah, that's what Blink and Jack thought, too," Race said angrily. "But I know what I'm saying. Lep probably has it all planned out. First, she'll apologize to keep all the Manhattan newsies fooled, then she'll become friends with Spot again, and then they can kiss all they want!"  
  
"Race!" Jack exclaimed, walking into the bunkroom with Kid Blink. "How the heck did you know what Spot said to Leprechaun?"  
  
Racetrack looked a little surprised that Jack and Blink had returned so soon, but he managed to reply, "Because I followed you! I knew Lep was lying, and I wanted proof. And now I have it!"  
  
"Race, it was just a joke," Jack said, trying to calm him down. "Nothing else. We believe that, most of these other newsies believe that, why can't you?"  
  
"Because I dated her!" Race shouted. "And I know what a two-faced, childish, scummy---"  
  
"What?" Leprechaun shouted, appearing in the bunkroom with Demon behind her. "What else am I, Race? I apologized to you; I apologized to all of you. Race is the liar here. HE was the one that followed us to Brooklyn tonight to eavesdrop. HE'S the one telling you stupid stories just so that you'll like him instead of me. And if you believe him, you are the most stupid, idiotic newsies in New York!" The newsies, including Racetrack, could only stare at Leprechaun's outburst. "Come on, Demon," Leprechaun said. "Let's just go to the girls' lodge. I don't want to be any where near all these scabs." 


	8. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: All of the original newsies belong to Disney, and the chapter quotes are from the poem "If---" which belongs to Rudyard Kipling and was copied out of Read-Aloud Poems for Young People. I own Leprechaun, Sweetheart, Sketch, Demon, Refugee, Pepper, Jungle, Trickster, Newsprint, Sparrow, Switchblade, James McLaws, and Benjamin "Bricks" Saunders. Ruby and Ketchy's is an actual diner near Morgantown, West Virginia.  
  
To Jack Kelly's Lady: Thanks for the reviews! I went back and reread my story, and Racetrack does act like a tattle-tale in parts of it. My reasoning for that is that he is really upset about Leprechaun and also has a big mouth, so he shares every little thing that Lep does with the rest of the newsies. I'll try to improve his character in future chapters. Keep reviewing!  
  
"Or watch the things you gave you life to, broken,  
  
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;"  
  
Demon left Leprechaun at the Manhattan Newsgirls Lodging House and hurried back to Brooklyn to tell Spot about the new rumors Racetrack had been spreading.  
  
"He STILL thinks you and Leprechaun are going out," Demon said. "He said you said something about Lep being a good kisser."  
  
"It was a joke!" Spot shouted, then softened his voice as various newsies turned to stare. "When will that stupid scabber get it through his thick skull? There is nothing going on between me and Lep, what I said was just a joke, and Race needs to get over Lep and get a life!" Spot stopped his foot angrily on the lodging house floor to emphasize his words.  
  
"Stop it, Spot," Bricks called from his office. "We already have holes in the roof, we don't need holes in the floor, too."  
  
Spot rolled his eyes, muttering something along the lines of 'yes, mother', and then decided to go to bed. At the end of the hallway farthest from the main bunkroom, Spot noticed a random newsie smoking. "Put the cigarette out," he demanded, "it stinks up the lodge." Then he strolled to his private room and fell into bed, looking forward to a night of peaceful slumber.  
  
Unfortunately, that was not to be. Around 1:00 in the morning, Bricks Saunders rushed up the stairs and pounded on Spot's door. "Fire!" he shouted. "Fire!" Spot, a light sleeper, woke quickly and grabbed his shoes from under his bed. Hurriedly, he put them on and then raced with Bricks to the main bunkroom.  
  
"Everybody out!" Spot shouted. "Get your shoes and nothing else! There's a fire in the lodge!" The newsies began to yank on shoes and run for the stairs. Spot helped one of the youngest newsies put on his shoes, and then handed him to Demon. "Carry him," Spot directed Demon, and Demon, holding the kid in his arms, headed for the stairs.   
  
"I can't find my shoes!" another child screamed in panic. "I'll carry you," Spot said. The newsie couldn't have been more than seven. Spot scooped him up in his arms and dashed for the stairs. The smoke was becoming thick, cutting off Spot's visibility. He prayed he wouldn't trip. Bricks followed behind Spot, holding as many blankets as he could grab from the bunks.   
  
Together, they reached the door of the lodging house and ran into the street. Bricks began a head count. "Everyone got out," he said, relief spreading across his face.   
  
A fire truck came clanging past, and the firemen hurried to unroll their hoses. One came to talk to Bricks. "We can't save your building," he said, "the fire's grown too large already. We're just going to try to stop the fire from spreading to the buildings around it."  
  
Bricks nodded. "That's all right. We'll find somewhere to stay for the night."  
  
"As in the streets?" Spot whispered once the fireman had left.  
  
"That's what it looks like," Bricks replied.  
  
"What if we tell the kids that it's a camp-out?" Spot suggested. "I've heard of rich people doing it---packing up their stuff and sleeping outside. Why couldn't we?"  
  
Bricks nodded. "That's not a bad idea," he admitted. "Okay, everyone listen up. The firemen can't save the lodging house---it's too far-gone already. But everyone's here and everyone's safe. I managed to grab a few blankets from the lodging house, and since it's summer anyway, we're just going to sleep outside for the night. It's called camping."  
  
Spot called the older newsies to him. "Watch out for the little kids," he said. "The streets aren't safe, especially at night." Together, the newsies and Bricks walked for a few blocks until they found a small, little-used park. They spread out their blankets and prepared to spend the rest of the night there.  
  
News spread rapidly across New York City. Early the next morning, Jack and Pepper traveled to Brooklyn bringing Kid Blink, Mush, David, and Switchblade along to help. Spot arose to greet them. "So Race didn't want to come?" he asked, pretending to be surprised.   
  
"Sorry about him, Spot," Jack apologized. "He's either really messed up or still really in love with Lep."  
  
"Or maybe both," Switchblade suggested. "I don't know what's eating him. He barely even talks to me anymore."  
  
"Anyway," Pepper began, smoothly changing the subject, "we brought plenty of food with us, plus some news from the other boroughs. Queens, Midtown, and Harlem all have some space left in their lodging houses, and we have room for six of you in the girls' lodge."  
  
"Thanks," Spot said gratefully. "We're used to eating breakfast at the lodging house, but since it burned down..."  
  
"Breakfast, coming right up," David said, holding up a basket full of rolls. "Fresh from the Sisters of St. Francis's."  
  
"Great," Spot said. "Just pass them out. Make sure the little kids get plenty to eat." David and Mush moved into the crowd of newsies, handing out food. "I think I'll have most of the newsies buy papes in Brooklyn and sell here, then walk to the other boroughs. A few of us, though, can go back to Manhattan and buy there."  
  
"I'm assuming you're coming, Spot," Jack said. "Who else?"  
  
"Uh...Demon, Jungle, Trickster, Newsprint, and Refugee," Spot decided.   
  
"All right," Jack agreed. "We'll leave as soon as the food's handed out."  
  
That night, the six Brooklyn newsies found bunks in the Manhattan Newsgirls Lodging House. Spot just "happened" to claim the one underneath Pepper.  
  
"Usually I leave my stuff on that bunk," Pepper said, "but you can have it for tonight."  
  
"Thanks," Spot said.  
  
"Oh, and all you Brooklyn people will have to get up extra early if you want a shower," Pepper said, "before the girls need to use the washroom." The six Brooklynites groaned. "It's either that or no shower at all," Pepper pointed out.  
  
"I might be able to live without a shower," Trickster mumbled.  
  
"Oh no you won't," Pepper said. "I am NOT having any smelly newsies in my lodging house."  
  
Spot laughed. "Go to sleep, Tricks," he said. "Looks like you'll be getting up EARLY tomorrow morning."  
  
A/N: The story's half over, folks---only eight more chapters after this. Now, please hit that adorable purple button and review! 


	9. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: All of the original newsies belong to Disney, and the chapter quotes are from the poem "If---" which belongs to Rudyard Kipling and was copied out of Read-Aloud Poems for Young People. I own Leprechaun, Sweetheart, Sketch, Demon, Refugee, Pepper, Jungle, Trickster, Newsprint, Sparrow, Switchblade, James McLaws, and Benjamin "Bricks" Saunders. Ruby and Ketchy's is an actual diner near Morgantown, West Virginia.  
  
Shout-outs:  
  
Kate Lawrence: Thanks for the review! Hope you enjoy this chapter!  
  
Morning Dew: I read part of the original script for Newsies once, and Spot seemed really concerned about all of the Brooklyn newsies, so I was trying to have him act like that in the last chapter. Plus, he's cute when he's acting all sweet and caring and everything. Thanks for the review!  
  
"If you can make one heap of all your winnings  
  
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,"  
  
For some reason, Spot couldn't fall asleep. Maybe it was because he was in an unfamiliar bunk in a different lodging house in a borough where he wasn't the leader. Or maybe it was because Pepper was in the bunk above him. 'I should really ask her to be my girl,' Spot thought to himself. 'Maybe if I do that, Race will figure out that I'm not dating Leprechaun. Besides that, she's gorgeous.' Spot pictured himself kissing Pepper and smiled. He rolled over, closed his eyes, and decided that he would ask Pepper out the next day.  
  
  
  
Very early the next morning, the six Brooklyn newsies awoke and showered, finishing just as the girls were beginning to get up. Jungle, Trickster, and Refugee stayed in Manhattan to sell, but Spot, Demon, and Newsprint walked back to Brooklyn. They bought their papers there, and then checked in with Bricks, who was living in his uncle's apartment.  
  
"We were going to search for a new lodging house today," Spot said. "If we find one, would you be interested in running it again?"  
  
"Sure," Bricks agreed, "I could never leave you guys."  
  
"Any suggestions on where to start looking?" Newsprint wondered.  
  
"Try near Cropsey Avenue," Bricks said, "I've seen a few empty buildings there. If we got one of those, you'd still be near the docks and you could keep your old selling spots."  
  
"Thanks, Bricks," Spot said, "we'll start there. Come on boys!"   
  
Five hours later, the Sun was high in the sky, the newsies were hungry, and they still hadn't found a new lodging house.  
  
"Spot, let's stop and get something to eat," Demon said. "Maybe we'll find something on the way to Ruby and Ketchy's."  
  
"Naw, we'll go a little farther," Spot decided. "Maybe there'll be something near Stillwell Avenue."  
  
"If we get to Stillwell, we'll be on Coney Island territory!" Newsprint protested.  
  
"I didn't say ON Stillwell, I said NEAR Stillwell," Spot shouted. "Would you stop thinking of your stomach for once?" Newsprint and Demon exchanged a glance. Normally, one of them would have said something to Spot about his temper, but at the moment neither felt like getting a black eye.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Demon pointed to a two-story wooden structure a few feet away. "Hey, how about that building?" he asked, pointing to a two-story wooden structure a few feet away. "It looks empty."  
  
"Let's go check it out," Spot said. The three newsies walked inside and began exploring. After a few minutes, they reunited near the front door.  
  
"The stairs are pretty good," Demon said, "and there's plenty of space on the second floor for a bunkroom."  
  
"And I found a stove in one of the back rooms!" Newsprint exclaimed. "Bricks could use that for a kitchen."  
  
"And we could have hot coffee in the mornings," Demon added.  
  
"Great," Spot said, "let's go tell Bricks that we found a new lodge."  
  
"Let's not," a voice commented, and Spot turned to see King, the Brooklyn equivalent of the Delancey brothers, leering at him through the door. Slowly, he opened it and walked out.  
  
"I don't think you were in on this conversation, King," he said coolly.  
  
"This warehouse belongs to my gang," King said firmly.  
  
"Then why wasn't anyone there?" Spot asked. "Why aren't there any beds? Or tables? Or weapons?"  
  
"Maybe we ain't got all the way moved in yet," King suggested.  
  
"I'll make you a deal, King," Spot decided. "You always carry a deck of cards with you, right?"  
  
"Right," King replied. If he had been surprised by the question, he didn't show it.  
  
"Then I'll play you for it," Spot said. "Poker. If I win we get the warehouse; if you win, we'll leave and search for a lodging house somewhere else."  
  
"All right," King agreed. He was the best poker player in Brooklyn, maybe even the best player in New York City. He was nicknamed King not because he was gang leader but because he had a habit of getting four kings in his hand by the end of almost every poker game.  
  
"You deal," Spot said. King dealt the cards, and Spot stared at his hand. Two kings, two aces, and a five of clubs. Not too shabby. Spot laid down the five, and King handed him another card. It was an ace. "What do you have?" he asked, trying not to smile and ruin his perfect poker face.   
  
One at a time, King laid his cards on the floor of the warehouse. King of hearts, king of diamonds, ten of hearts, ten of spades, and ten of clubs. "Full house," he said proudly, "beat that."  
  
Spot's smile grew wider as he set his cards on the floor. "I also have a full house," he conceded, "but I have three aces and you have three tens. I win."  
  
"You cheated!" King shouted. He pulled his fist back to punch Spot in the face, but Spot caught his hand before it could connect.  
  
"No, King, I didn't cheat," he said calmly. "You just lost. Now get out of here." He gave King a light push toward the door. King growled, but stopped when he saw that he was outnumbered three to one. Silently, he turned and walked out the door.  
  
When he reached the street, King glanced back at the warehouse. "You'd better watch your back, Conlon," he snarled, then stomped away.  
  
"We'll go get some lunch now," Spot said. "Then I think Newsprint should stay here, just in case King and his gang get any bright ideas. Demon, you can go tell the newsies in the other boroughs that we found a new lodging house and we'll be moving in soon. I'll go back to Manhattan and finish selling." The other two newsies nodded, and they left the warehouse and headed for Ruby and Ketchy's.  
  
* The Manhattan Newsgirls Lodging House that evening. *  
  
"Pay up, boys," Pepper said. She had just won a poker game against Refugee, Demon, and Trickster. Grudgingly, the three boys handed her their money.  
  
"My turn to deal," Trickster announced, grabbing the deck.   
  
"Leave me out of this one," Pepper said, standing up from the crowded card table. "I think I'll go up to the roof for awhile."  
  
"That's not fair, Pepper," Trickster whined. "You can't leave right after you take all our money! You have to let us try and win it back!"  
  
"Don't worry, Tricks, I'll be back," Pepper assured. "I just want to have some quiet for awhile. You Brooklyn people make an awful lot of noise." Amid laughs from the other girls and good-natured threats from the Brooklynites, Pepper climbed out the window and up the fire escape to the roof.  
  
A few minutes later, when Spot was sure that everyone else in the lodging house was paying attention to the poker game, he went up to the roof also.  
  
"Heya, Spot," Pepper said. "Why aren't you playing poker? I heard you were pretty good at it this morning."  
  
"I am pretty good," Spot said proudly. "But I wanted to talk to you."  
  
"What about?"  
  
"About whether you'd be my girl."  
  
"I thought Leprechaun was your girl," Pepper teased.  
  
"Shut up," Spot said, "you sound like Racetrack. But seriously, will you be my girl?"  
  
"Sure," Pepper agreed, giving Spot an appraising glance. "You seem pretty nice."  
  
"That's not all," Spot said confidently. "I'm also a good kisser."  
  
"Oh really?" Pepper asked. "Prove it."  
  
"I'd be glad to," Spot smirked. Then he wrapped his arms around Pepper's waist and pulled her into a kiss. 


	10. Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: All of the original newsies belong to Disney, and the chapter quotes are from the poem "If---" which belongs to Rudyard Kipling and was copied out of Read-Aloud Poems for Young People. I own Leprechaun, Sweetheart, Sketch, Demon, Refugee, Pepper, Jungle, Trickster, Newsprint, Sparrow, Switchblade, James McLaws, and Benjamin "Bricks" Saunders. Ruby and Ketchy's is an actual diner near Morgantown, West Virginia.  
  
A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update! Unfortunately, this chapter is pretty short. But don't worry---another plot twist is coming up in chapter eleven!  
  
"And lose, and start again at your beginnings  
  
And never breathe a word about your loss;"  
  
* Early the next morning, as the Manhattan newsies walk to the Distribution Center. *  
  
Spot took a deep breath and gripped his cane a little tighter. Now that he had a girlfriend, he wanted to make sure that all the rumors about him and Leprechaun were stopped. He scanned the crowd of newsies, trying to pick out his former best friend. Finally, Spot saw him---near the front of the crowd, talking with Mush and Boots.  
  
"I'm telling you," Race exclaimed, "it's all part of Lep's plan. She probably even burned down the Brooklyn lodge so that Spot would have to sleep in the same lodging house as her."  
  
"Race, isn't that a little far-fetched?" Boots asked skeptically. "I mean, Lep did some stupid stuff, but do you really think she'd burn down the Brooklyn lodging house?"  
  
"Besides, I was over at the girls' lodge that evening, and Lep was there," Mush added. "She would never walk to Brooklyn alone at night."  
  
"What were you doing at the girls' lodge, Mush?" Boots teased. "Flirting with Sketch again?"  
  
Mush's face colored, and even Racetrack began to laugh at his friend's bashfulness. But Race's laughter stopped abruptly as Spot grabbed his shirt collar and spun him around. "Come on, Race," Spot growled, and proceeded to drag Racetrack into a nearby alley.  
  
Race kicked out at Spot's legs. "What the heck are you doing, Spot?" he asked.   
  
Spot managed to avoid Race's kicks and pin him against the wall. "Calm down," he said, "I just want to talk to you."  
  
"Spot, the only way you ever learned to talk was with your fists," Race said. "The only time you use words is when you're flirting...with other people's girls!"  
  
"Calm down!" Spot repeated, pushing Race hard enough to knock the wind out of him. "Calm down and shut up! As much as we'd both like to forget it, I was once your best friend. And I would NEVER steal a girl from a friend. I may have stolen quite a few from my enemies, but never from my friends."  
  
"Oh, yeah?" Race asked. "So you don't think kissing someone else's girl is stealing?"  
  
"First of all, Racey-boy, Lep wasn't your girl anymore," Spot pointed out. "She dumped you the night before. Second of all, SHE kissed me. I didn't have anything to do with it."  
  
"But you didn't push her away, either, did you?" Racetrack countered.  
  
"What does it matter?" Spot asked, trying to avoid the question. "Either way, she broke up with you. Maybe you should try to get it through your thick skull that SHE DOESN'T LIKE YOU. She doesn't WANT to go out with you anymore. She's not going to come crying back to you, and she's probably never going to forgive you for all the rumors you spread about her. She tried to apologize to you once, and you wouldn't accept it. I hope she does the same thing when you finally grow up and apologize for all the stupid stuff you did."  
  
"She won't have to," Racetrack said, "because I'm not going to apologize. As far as I can see, I didn't do anything worse than what she did. At least I didn't run away from my problems. Besides, if you don't like her, why did you sleep in the bunk next to her last night?"  
  
"I did not!" Spot shouted.  
  
"Yes you did," Race replied. "Sparrow told me."  
  
"I slept there," Spot began slowly, "because it was under Pepper's bunk. If you had been listening to the other newsies this morning instead of telling your stupid stories, you would know that Pepper's my girl. I asked her out last night."  
  
"Oh, so now you're going to have two girls, are you Spot?" Race asked. "Go out with Pepper during the day, and then cheat on her with Lep at night?"  
  
Spot's fist lashed out and connected with Race's eye. Before Race could retaliate, Spot had left the alley and was walking toward Brooklyn. 


	11. Chapter Eleven

Disclaimer: All of the original newsies belong to Disney, and the chapter quotes are from the poem "If---" which belongs to Rudyard Kipling and was copied out of Read-Aloud Poems for Young People. I own Leprechaun, Sweetheart, Sketch, Demon, Refugee, Pepper, Jungle, Trickster, Newsprint, Sparrow, Switchblade, James McLaws, and Benjamin "Bricks" Saunders. Ruby and Ketchy's is an actual diner near Morgantown, West Virginia.  
  
A/N: Sorry the update took so long! I was at camp and then in Boston, so I kind of have an excuse...review, please!  
  
To Morning Dew: Thanks for the reviews! Yeah, Race is being a whiny dumb @$$. Oh, well...  
  
"If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew  
  
To serve your turn long after they are gone,"  
  
"Extra, extra, read all about it! Important building in flames! Residents barely escape!" Spot shouted to the Brooklyn crowds. Sure, he was talking about the incinerated lodging house, which most New Yorkers didn't consider an 'important building', but his customers wouldn't find that out until Spot was two blocks away and quite a few pennies richer.   
  
Sales had been good today. Between the fire story and a textile factory strike, there were plenty of good headlines that Spot could only make better. Now it was noon, and Spot had just a few more morning editions to get rid of before he could head to Ruby and Ketchy's for lunch. As the hot, fiery sun blazed on his neck, Spot tried to think of Pepper and forget about his confrontation with Racetrack a few hours ago. Pepper was so beautiful...Race was such an idiot...  
  
"I'll buy a paper, boy."  
  
"Thank you, sir," Spot handed the elderly gentleman a paper, accepted his penny, and continued onward. Only two papes to go.  
  
"Factory workers on strike! Union leaders say it won't end soon!" A matronly woman and a man in his mid-twenties both walked up to Spot and bought his last two papers, making him two cents richer and ready for lunch.  
  
On the way to Ruby and Ketchy's, Spot observed the hustle and bustle that was Brooklyn. He could smell fish and salt on the winds that blew in from the bay, see two little girls racing toward a nearby store to buy penny candy. Horses' hooves trotting along the cobblestone streets and people shouting and laughing filled his ears. Spot loved Brooklyn, but sometimes he wished the people could be a little quieter. You could easily get a headache from all the yelling and talking and...screaming?   
  
Spot whipped his head around, searching for the source of the screams. They sounded familiar, although he couldn't quite place the voice or its location. There was a little-used alleyway not far from where he was standing; maybe that was where the screams were coming from. Spot took off, first at a brisk walk and then a sprint as the streets became less crowded and the screams grew louder.  
  
When he reached the alley, Spot saw what he had feared since yesterday morning. King, upset with losing the abandoned warehouse to Spot, had grabbed three of his thugs and gone after someone Spot cared about: not one of his newsies, but Leprechaun.   
  
These thoughts raced through Spot's brain at the same speed that his fist lashed out and connected with the side of King's face. King and his gang had pinned Leprechaun against a wall and were using their hands and feet to wound her face and arms. Leprechaun was fighting back feebly, but it was a lopsided battle: three strong young men against one diminutive fourteen-year-old girl.  
  
As soon as Spot's hand impacted King's jaw, King spun around, swinging a tightly clenched fist at his attacker. Spot ducked and punched one of King's comrades, who had been attempting to give Lep another black eye. The thug's temple struck the brick wall behind him and he slouched against it, at least temporarily unconscious.  
  
King glanced at his fallen partner in crime. "There's still three of us left, Spot. There will be a new Brooklyn leader when this fight gets over!" The two remaining thugs left Leprechaun and joined King in staring down Spot.  
  
Spot backed up a little and then kicked one of the gang-members in the groin. "Run, Lep!" he shouted, praying that Leprechaun, although bruised, was strong enough to run for help. Apparently she was, because she dashed out of the alley, heading for Ruby and Ketchy's. Shouting had been a mistake, though, for while Spot was distracted with Lep's departure, King managed to strike him in the nose, causing it to bleed. Spot ignored the injury and continued fighting, using the heavy metal head of his walking stick to stab King in the gut while giving the remaining thug a black eye.  
  
"So you're gonna use weapons, are ya Spot?" King asked, seemingly unaffected by Spot's caning. He snaked the fingers of his left hand into his right sleeve, pulling out a knife that had been secured there. It was only a few inches long, but the metal blade was sharp and gleaming in the harsh sunlight. King stabbed in the direction of Spot's arm, but Spot dodged just in time, managing to land a punch in the chest of one of the thugs.  
  
While the thug groaned, King stabbed again, this time slashing Spot's lower leg, leaving an ugly gash overflowing with ruby liquid. Spot grimaced and staggered; pain searing through his leg.  
  
"Hey, King!" a taunting voice cried. King only had time to slam the still-unbalanced Spot against a wall before Trickster tackled him. Jungle attacked one of the thugs, sneaking a quick glance at Spot as he did so. Spot's head had struck the brick wall of the building behind him, and he had collapsed, falling only a few feet away from an unconscious gang-member.  
  
Jungle growled...if Spot had been hurt...he grabbed Spot's cane from the fallen newsie's belt and rammed it against a thug's skull, unceremoniously dumping his limp body on the cold cobblestone street below. There were only two left now: King and his friend. Jungle punched the last thug and pushed him to the ground, just as Trickster managed to unbalance King and push him into the wall. Now both leaders were limp and comatose, and the thugs were in no condition to fight.  
  
"We'd better get out of here before the bulls come," Trickster said. "I'll go back to Ruby and Ketchy's and get Lep, if you want to take care of Spot."  
  
"Yeah," Jungle agreed. He was a tall, muscular, African-American newsie who rarely spoke. He tore his shirt off, making a bandage for Spot's leg, which was still bleeding profusely. Then, being careful not to jar Spot's leg or head, Jungle lifted him over his shoulder and began the long walk back to Manhattan. 


	12. Chapter Twelve

Disclaimer: All of the original newsies belong to Disney, and the chapter quotes are from the poem "If---" which belongs to Rudyard Kipling and was copied out of Read-Aloud Poems for Young People. I own Leprechaun, Sweetheart, Sketch, Demon, Refugee, Pepper, Jungle, Trickster, Newsprint, Sparrow, Switchblade, James McLaws, and Benjamin "Bricks" Saunders. Ruby and Ketchy's is an actual diner near Morgantown, West Virginia.  
  
A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to update. School has started, so I should be getting back into the routine of posting every week or two. Reviews might speed up the process... *hint, hint*  
  
To Morning Dew: Thanks for the review! Here's more...  
  
"And so hold on when there is nothing in you  
  
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'"  
  
Jungle was the first to arrive at the Manhattan Newsgirls Lodging House. With Spot slung over his shoulder, he climbed the stairs to the empty bunkroom and gently placed the unconscious Brooklyn leader on a bed. Only seconds later, he heard footsteps, the sounds of Trickster climbing up the stairs, Leprechaun cradled in his arms, her eyes closed peacefully.  
  
"She was still at Ruby and Ketchy's," Trickster explained. "I think she's all right---just tired. And she does have a few bruises." He laid Lep on the bed next to Spot, and then sat down on another bunk, facing Jungle. "I'll stay here and watch them," he volunteered. "Maybe you could look for Pepper and Jack. They might know where we can find a doctor who doesn't charge too much."  
  
Jungle nodded silently and climbed down the lodging house stairs two at a time. A rival of Manhattan's infamous Swifty, he could race across Manhattan in half the time it would take Trickster or any other average newsie.  
  
Jungle strolled out of the lodge and began jogging down Duane Street. At the corner, he turned onto another street and started to speed up his pace slightly, staring at the crowds and hoping for a glimpse of a familiar newsie. After two nights in Manhattan, Jungle had gleaned a vague idea of the Manhattanites' selling spots, but he was still unsure of the leaders' exact locations.   
  
Today, luck was with him. After only a few minutes of running up and down New York's bustling avenues, Jungle found Pepper and Switchblade selling afternoon editions to the businessmen streaming out of a large brick building.  
  
"Pepper!" he shouted, his voice filled with urgency. She quickly handed a paper to an impatient older gentleman, then hurried over to Jungle.  
  
"Is something wrong?" she asked, her brow creasing with worry. Switchblade followed quickly, like a bodyguard at the female leader's side.  
  
"Yeah. Spot and Lep got beat up. They're at the lodge."  
  
"Will they need a doctor?" Pepper asked.  
  
"Prob'ly," Jungle affirmed.  
  
"Go up to 47th Street," Pepper directed. "There's a small doctor's office there. Ask for James McLaws; he's an apprentice. Just tell him we need help at the lodge, and he'll come." Jungle nodded and took off, heading north.  
  
"Give me your papes, Pepper," Switchblade offered. "I'll sell them for you." Pepper nodded and murmured a thank-you as she handed a small stack of papers to Switchblade and began a hurried walk to the lodging house.  
  
The situation in the lodging house was much the same as when Jungle had left. Trickster was sitting on a bunk, staring glumly at Spot, who had almost bled through Jungle's makeshift bandage, and Lep, whose eyes fluttered occasionally, although she continued to sleep. Trickster stood when he heard footsteps on the stairs, and he gave a small smile when Pepper appeared in the bunkroom.  
  
"How are they?" she asked. Trickster shrugged. He was not a doctor; all he knew was that Spot was most likely worse off than Leprechaun was. As Pepper walked across the room to the space between Lep and Spot's bunks, Lep's eyes fluttered again, this time staying open.  
  
"Pepper?" she muttered groggily.  
  
"Lep!" Pepper exclaimed. "Are you all right?"  
  
"I think so," Lep said. "Just tired. And my leg hurts some." Pepper gently pulled the covers back, exposing Lep's legs. The right half of her trousers was torn away at the knee, displaying a marble-sized indigo bruise.   
  
"I don't think that's anything serious," Pepper comforted Lep. "James McLaws is coming. When he gets here, we'll have him look it over." Apprentice McLaws, who charged next to nothing as he was not yet a doctor, had been called on multiple times by the Manhattan newsies to deal with scrapes, stomach ailments, and the occasional broken bone.  
  
Turning away from Leprechaun, Pepper crouched next to Spot's bed, examining the cut on his leg as well as she could without lifting the bandage. She could hear footsteps on the stairs, and prayed that Jungle had found McLaws.  
  
At least for now, Pepper's prayers were answered. James McLaws, a short, dark-haired man in his mid-twenties, walked briskly into the bunkroom, carrying a small, black leather bag.  
  
He cast a critical eye over the two bedridden newsies. "Who's worse?" he asked.  
  
"Spot," Pepper replied, indicating her unconscious boyfriend. McLaws crouched next to her and carefully lifted the bandage from Spot's leg. The formerly off-white fabric was now russet-colored, caked with dried blood and soaked from the liquid that continued to stream from Spot's wound.  
  
"He's lost a lot of blood," McLaws mumbled nervously, cleaning the injury with a soft cloth and covering it with a new bandage. "How long has he been unconscious?"  
  
"A little more than an hour," Trickster answered. "It took a while to get him here from Brooklyn."   
  
"Well, that and the bleeding seem to be the biggest problems," McLaws said, standing and facing Pepper. "You can clean up his face yourself; it looks like he might have had a nosebleed. Hopefully, the cut on his leg will stop bleeding soon. If it doesn't, he'll need surgery, and you'll have to get an actual doctor to do that. But the most important thing is that he wakes up within twenty-four hours. If he doesn't, well...there's not much we can do." Pepper nodded resignedly, and McLaws turned to examine the bruise on Leprechaun's leg.  
  
Later that evening, Racetrack returned from a long day at the tracks, still unaware of the harm done to his newest enemy and former girlfriend.  
  
"Hey, Race, did you hear about Spot?" Mush asked, his face creased in an anxious frown.  
  
"Nah. What happened?" Race asked nonchalantly.  
  
"Him and Lep got beat up. McLaws said Lep was okay, but Spot hasn't woken up yet. Jack and Pepper are sitting with him. They won't let any of us go over to the girls' lodge."  
  
Race bit his lip. An unconscious newsie wasn't a good thing. Without proper medical care, many never woke up. Slowly, he followed Mush into the boys' lodging house and started a half-hearted game of poker.  
  
A few hours later, most of the newsies were asleep in their bunks, yet Race just couldn't keep his mind off of Spot. True to what Mush had told him, Pepper and Jack had moved Spot to a spare room in the girls' lodge, and then religiously guarded the doors, keeping all unnecessary newsies (namely, the boys) out.   
  
Without warning, Race's mind drifted back to a day in late winter almost ten years ago, a day when snow slushed along Manhattan's streets, its former pristine whiteness now a dull, muddy brown. Most of the young boys in his neighborhood had been outside that day, enjoying the first warm breezes of the year, but Racetrack, then known as Anthony, had been inside a small, stuffy room, perched on a stiff wooden chair, holding his mother's hand tightly in his own. He remembered watching her breathe: the slow, labored rising of her chest as she inhaled, followed by the sigh of air leaving her body. Inhale, exhale...inhale, exhale...inhale, exhale...exhale...exhale... He had screamed as she died, as people pulled his hands from her body, as they told him that it was over, that he could let go, that she was gone. And, in that instant of remembering, Racetrack knew that he couldn't let that happen to Spot. He couldn't live with knowing that, sometime during the night, Spot had taken his final breath. No matterhow much he hated Spot, they had been friends once, and Race couldn't lose Spot as he had lost his mother.  
  
Race glanced around the lodging house at the newsies, all in various stages of slumber. Jack had returned around eleven o'clock, only half an hour earlier, but he was already sound asleep, exhausted by a day filled with hard work and worry. Cautiously, Race crept across the bunkroom and down the lodging house stairs, hugging the banister to keep the rickety floorboards from squeaking. As soon as he had passed Kloppman's office and stepped out into the cool, nighttime breeze, he began to sprint, racing past building and across alleyways, trying not to think of the terrors that could be lurking only a few feet away.   
  
Breathless, Racetrack reached the girls' lodge and slunk up the stairs to their bunkroom. In the back corner, a tall, dark-haired figure hunched over a bunk, holding Spot's unmoving hand. Race walked over to them and found a seat next to Pepper. His experiences of ten years past meant he knew what to do: sit, wait, and pray that Spot never stopped breathing. 


End file.
